THE VINDICATION OF THE cobbler, BEING A brief publication OF HIS DOCTRINE. OR certain tenants collected out of the Sermon of Samuel How a cobbler in Long Ally in morefield's, which Sermon he preached in the nagshead tavern near Coleman-Street in the presence of above a hundred people, among which was five Ministers (some of them silenced ones) This Sermon being lately Printed, and entitled, The sufficiency of the Spirits teaching, without human Learning; For the light and information of the Ignorant. These following Doctrines are published in the very same words he there delivered them; upon this Text, 2 Peter 3. 16. In which they that are unlearned, and unstable wrest as they do all, so the other Scriptures to their own destruction.  
THat such as are destitute of Human learning, 
1 Doct.  are the learned ones that truly understand the Scriptures according to Peter's mind, else he condemned himself, for Peter was an unlearned man, and Jesus Christ without Human learning.  
That Human learning was never sanctified by GOD, 
2 Doct.  but to spiritual uses is accursed, and is only profitable to a statesman, a physician or a Lawyer; for to a Divine it is as bad as fire in the roof of a House: Therefore if two men both alike endued with grace from GOD, the one learned, the other unlearned, be to be preferred to the Ministry, the unlearned is to be preferred for these reasons. First, Because GOD respects no persons, secondly, it is suitable to the gospel's simplicity: thirdly, GOD chooseth the unlearned in opposition to the learned, so must we; for that learning which is attained to by labour, is not fit for Christ's Church, but for Egypt, and Babylon it is suitable.  
That if knowledge in Tongues, 
3 Doct.  be given us from GOD without labour, than we may accept it as coming from his grace, not else, for we must not labour for it; for Human learning, as it is no help to stop the mouths of gainsayers, and opposers, so it may not be purchased with money, for we read that Simon Magus offering to buy it with money, was sharply reproved for it by Peter, as springing from an evil root.  
That we are to be suspicious that such persons are destitute of the Spirit that make any use of Human learning to understand the Scripture, 
4 Doct.  for that such usually, are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction; for all which came to CHRIST having any kind of Human learning forsook it; Moses forsook the Treasures of Egypt, of which Human learning was the chief: The Ephesians whom Paul converted Acts the 19 wholly did abondon it, for they burned their books of curious Arts: Therefore no words of Art, or of human learning, may be used in Preaching the gospel for doubtless Moses, Paul, and Apollo's, contemned all such.  
That seeing Jesus Christ was destitute of Human learning, 
use. 1.  so his Servants ought to be also, for it is not fit for them to be above their Lord.  
To discover the great woe the World lies under, 
use. 2.  that are so blind as not to see that human learning is so far from being a help to understand the mind of GOD, that quite contrary instead of a Blessing it is a Curse, instead of a fire profitable, it is as pernicious fire in the roof of a House: Therefore all Christians are to beware of it, for it is that evil seed that causeth Error, and occasioneth those noisome Lusts that drown men in perdition, it is the dragon's tail, and suitable for those Locusts that ascend out of the bottomless Pit, whose smoke Human learning is; Scribes, Pharisees, Papists, Egyptians, Babylonians, they are the men that highly esteem of Human learning: And thus the unlearned cobbler his zeal having made him outrun his Last concluded. Let the man of GOD fly Human learning.  
THis Sermon a Minister who was there, and had given him his Text exclaimed against, Affirming he had delivered Blasphemy: the cobbler being stiff in his opinion the Minister replied, How had made a Cal●e, and danced about it, which speech being reported abroad to his disgrace as if he had made an unsound exposition, the cobbler to vindicate himself and (as he saith in his Epistle to the Reader) the truth itself which he delivered, caused his Sermon to be Printed, and in his Epistle undertakes to prove Human learning the calf, and the men of that Throne (as he calls the Ministers) those that set it up and themselves danced about it: while he (the cobbler) to their great grief and discontent did cast it down and grind it to Powder, and so blew it away with the Word of GOD. Which whether he did or not, you may partly judge by what is here collected.   

What How, how now hath How such learning found,  
To throw arts curious Image to the ground?  
Cambridg, and Oxford may their glory now,  
Veil to a cobbler, if they know but How.  
Though big with Arts they cannot overtop,  
The Spirits Teaching in a cobbler's Shop:  
Then gnaw your tongues for madness if you will,  
The Spirits Teaching flows not from your quill.  
Reader if thou an Human Artist be,  
Let Human learning be no judge for thee,  
Lay down thy Art, then try this cobbler's end,  
And see if it be by the Spirit penned:  
Mean time advise you Arts, and Artists all,  
The spirit's wisdom may attend the Awl:  
For 'tis no strange thing that we here have got,  
This cobbler's Father was (no doubt) a Scot.   
FINIS.  

London. Printed by R. Oulton, for John Wright the younger, and are to be sold at his Shop in the Old-bailey. 1640.